


The First Queen

by WellDoneBeca



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1940s, Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Prince Bucky Barnes, Queen Peggy Carter, Royalty, king steve rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-09-17 22:43:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16983180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WellDoneBeca/pseuds/WellDoneBeca
Summary: Life as a princess isn’t what people fantasise. As first in line to the throne, there were things Elena dreamed to do but never could, and things she never wanted to do but needed. Rules, duties, roles to be fulfilled… Tony had taught his daughter to put the crown before everything in her life, and if she hadn’t learnt that lesson before she needed to, now. Marrying James was never in her plans, but she needed him as much as he needed her.All she wanted was to love him and to be loved back.Nothing more than that. Nothing less.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nothing Less](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14174553) by [WellDoneBeca](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WellDoneBeca/pseuds/WellDoneBeca). 



Elena took a long breath, looking at herself in the mirror. The wedding dress fell on her perfectly but she could barely see it.

“You don’t need to do it,” her father touched her back. “We can find another way.”

The princess just kept staring at herself in the mirror. Her face was cold, and her brown eyes were digging so deep into her own reflection that she could feel her soul breaking into pieces.

“They are waiting for us,” Elena finally reminded him. “Everyone.”

She closed her eyes and then opened them once again.

“They need us,” she reaffirmed. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Tony held his daughter’s arm, walking out of her room and through the corridor while the staff watched them.

Elena and Tony were alone. She was an only child, having lost her mother early in her life, and the obvious future queen. It’s not like they were in a full monarchy though, but their roles were important. Her father’s decisions were always to be accompanied and measured by the parliament and his authority had limits these days, as well as hers would. Still, there were things she needed to answer for and alliances that still required her. That’s why she was in that dress right now.

James Buchanan Sebastian Philip Barnes-Rogers was the prince of a country close to theirs, much smaller but they needed their help. His country was currently in a war, running out of soldiers and even food and his older brother – King Steven, the first – had approached Tony with a proposition of exchanging his younger brother for full support. The king wanted to refuse it, stating that Elena was not a coin to be exchanged, but he didn’t. She was getting older – the two of them were – and the pressure to find a husband was turning her life into a mess. Every man she could ever meet was trying to get a place by her side or worse, her bed. Everyone who approached the princess wanted something and she couldn’t take that anymore.

Elena waved outside with a large smile while people cheered around the carriage she rode.

“We can still leave,” her father affirmed when they stopped in front of the church. “We can leave, just say the word, right Happy?” he said to the security man.

“Yes, sir.”

Elena shook her head, squeezing his hand.

“Come on, dad,” she smiled once again. “I’m not going back now.”

Tony walked his daughter into the huge cathedral and the two stopped to talk to the bishop. She couldn’t hear them, as Wanda – her maid of honour - fixed her dress and positioned herself along with the bridesmaids and the page boys.

When they finally started walking, Elena had to tell herself not to squeeze her father’s hand too tightly or walk too slow – or fast. Her smile was almost painful to hold. She could feel the hand around hers tightening when her and Tony laid eyes on the man standing with his back turned to them besides his brother – the king. James was massive, with large shoulders and strong arms that could probably lift his wife up with little to no effort.

When he looked at her, his eyes were the bluest the princess could have ever seen in her life, beautiful and bright. She couldn’t hear the words spoken to her, not with him looking at her with the corner of his eyes. When he turned to look at Elena, he couldn’t look her in her own brown eyes, but his voice was firm and his grip tight on her small hand as he said his words.

“I, James Buchanan Sebastian Philip, take thee, Elena Catherine Grace, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.“

The princess took a long breath before it was her turn. She and Tony had a long discussion about what she was going to say and how much she would actually mean.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep.

“I, Elena Catherine Grace, take thee, James Buchanan Sebastian Philip, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.”

Elena could see the moment on his face. The single, small word she had left out that made his jaw twitch and his eyes to freeze on her face. She could feel everyone staring at her, from King Steven to her own husband and every single person inside the building.

Obey.

She didn’t promise to obey.


	2. I

James had given up his nationality titles and right to the throne a week before marrying Elena. All he had from his past was part of his name, and only because of Tony’s insistence. Barnes. He was still a Barnes.

The newlyweds had known each other for about five months and gotten engaged three weeks after their first meeting. The reasons behind their marriage was a secret to be kept and a cover story was carefully written to keep people from speculating.

To them, Elena and James had met when he travelled in his brother’s name around one year and a half earlier and kept constant contact ever since. Both shared the same love for Hollywood films – especially those with Vivien Leigh – and Shakespeare, and he’d fallen for her when he heard the redhead singing and playing the piano while looking for the men’s restroom.

Bullshit.

“These shoes are killing me,” she whispered to Wanda as she fixed her white dress for the pictures. “Why do I need to wear heels, again?”

“Because your husband is awfully tall,” she reminded her best friend with a chuckle. “You’ll be able to take those off soon enough. There will be a change of clothing for the ball.”

Elena nodded but went back to her standard position when James walked to stand by her side. He was, indeed, very tall, with shoulders extremely broad where he could fit his new wife over them easily and dark hair slicked back.

“You look very lovely,” her husband whispered, and the princess felt a shiver running her skin.

His voice was everything his body also was. It was low, thick and warm, with a comforting but thrilling sound.

Her husband.

“Thank you,” she said back as he stood straight, taking her longhand. “You look very handsome.”

“Thank you.”

Pictures and more pictures were taken. The couple alone, and then with the people waiting, family and friends. Her father was the last one and when it was done, he walked her to a chair and kneeled in front of his daughter.

“Wanda mentioned you were complaining about the shoes,” he explained nonchalantly, ignoring the looks the two were receiving. The king kneeling in front of someone wasn’t very common. “Why didn’t you mention before?”

“I didn’t think they would hurt to bad,” she pulled the dress up enough as he helped her feet out of the straps. “They are too high.”

“I can see that.”

Elena didn’t miss James whispering something to King Steven and the way both men watched the pair. They were a relatively small family: The queen mother – Sara – was still alive, though her husband had passed away half a decade prior, and they were their only children. They were never close to their father. Steven was married to Margaret, a young and beautiful woman with brown hair and full lips, but was apparently refraining himself from having children until the war was over. Now that James had given up his nationality and titles, his second cousin Peter was the official heir to the crown.

“You’re an angel,” she affirmed when Tony helped her put on her favourite pair of very comfortable shoes. They were a bit old, but the princess didn’t mind, and no one could complain about it anyway.

“No,” he stood on his feet. “I’m just the father of one. How do I look?”

“Like a king.”

Tony smiled, helping Elena up, and the doors were opened so she and James could now walk outside and show off to the public eye. They left hand in hand, followed by the other people but never looking back at them.

“I didn’t think so many people would show up,” he said by her side, sounding surprised and a bit excited. “They filmed us.”

“They are still filming,” she corrected him, holding a large smile on her face. “Taking pictures, probably writing about us.”

“About your dress?” he sounded amused.

“Oh, that too,” she focused on a group of children. “But also questioning my decision of marrying a foreign man, questioning your decision of giving everything up for me. Wondering how long it will take for me to start popping out children and if my overprotective father thinks you are enough. They will speculate whether you will still be an active man of the military or not for now on and how much influence on me that will have. How much you will influence them.”

Elena could see how her words had surprised him, but he didn’t have time to say anything back, as she was already walking back into the room and the wedding celebration.

“Do I really need to stay?” she questioned her father in a whisper.

“Oh, darling, you know you do,” he put his arm around her. “There is the first dance and all of the diplomatic shit you need to do. We will play your favourite song, what do you think?”

The redheaded princess hesitated but took a breath.

“I don’t have a choice, remember?”


	3. II

Bucky watched as Elena sat in the armchair, still looking stunning but with tiredness behind her brown eyes. He’d loved her eyes as soon as he saw them closely. They were strong, brutal and yet too delicate. A woman with no softness in her heart, he heard people say when he asked around, older than her age and beyond her time.

A perfect and adored princess to a pompous country.

“Do you need help?” he questioned when he noticed how hard it looked to bend down in such a tight ball gown.

The wedding had happened in the afternoon and had given place to a ball where his wife had changed into a dress as white as the one she’d worn at the church, and even higher heels. They danced together there, and he’d had the real opportunity to look at her, of feeling her finally. He’d never smelt such an attractive scent as her, something like oranges and not floral as many women. Honestly, he wished it was acceptable for him to lift her up and put his face in the crook of her neck and spend the night there, but Elena would probably feel uncomfortable with such contact.

“Thank you,” the princess muttered just before he kneeled down – just like her father earlier – and touched her right foot delicately, removing the tight shoe and rubbing the front of it just before doing it to the next one.

The long sigh the young woman left didn’t go unnoticed by him, and he held back a small grin.

“There you go,” he muttered. “Does it feel better?”

The redhead nodded shyly, suddenly realising the position the two were and raising her eyes quickly at the knock on the open door.

“Your Royal Highness,” her Lady of the Chamber stopped in front of them. “Is my assistance required?”

“Yes, please,” the bride stood up, feeling her cheeks awfully hot. “I need to get out of this dress.”

Bucky stepped back excusing himself with a mutter before giving Elena privacy and walking out of the chambers they shared and stepping into the royal bedchamber. The place looked comfortable, classical and large as expected. The bed – a special design – could fit at least three men of his size and still have some room left. With the number of pillows there, he could for sure make some sort of separator between the two of them when the time to sleep came. The couple was staying in the same castle Elena had grown up in, where King Anthony lived. The two had their own wing, of course, so far away from her father’s that a phone call was an easier way to communicate than walking into wherever he could be. It was close to the kitchen, at least, and to the gym that he’d have installed there. It was close enough to Steve’s chambers just as well so he could spend the last days of his brother’s stay with him. Maybe Elena could even have some time with Peggy and become friends if she wanted to.

On the door opposite to the one leading to the room his new wife was in, his own servant waited to help him change into his sleepwear. It took him less time than his wife to get out of his formal attire and into warm cotton flannels after dismissing the silk option.

“Thank you,” he wrapped his cotton robes around his body. “You may go now.”

He closed the door behind him himself, wondering what the people around were thinking. Did the staff know the truth or were they blissfully unaware of how he didn’t know his own wife, the woman who would lay by his side? Did they think the two would consummate their marriage or just sleep in an awkward silence?

He could hear when the servant walked out of the other room and the doors were closed, giving place to a deafening lack of sound only interrupted by the way the fabric of her ivory gown rubbing on itself.

“Your Royal Highness,” he muttered, making Elena raise her eyebrows at him.

“You can’t be serious,” she stared at his face. “I have a name.”

“Elena Catherine Grace?” he smirked.

“Just Elena,” she corrected him. “Would you enjoy if I called you Your Royal Highness, James Buchanan Sebastian Philip, Duke of Barnes every time we spoke to one another?”

Bucky chuckled.

Duke. Not a prince. Not anymore.

“That would be awfully annoying,” he muttered. “I’d prefer to be called Bucky if that is not a problem.”

She tilted her head to the side.

“Bucky?”

“From Buchanan,” he put his hands in his robes’ pockets. “My grandmother thought it sounded better than just James. More intimate.”

The redhead.

“Okay then. Bucky.”

He smiled and Elena returned it without seeming to think before sitting on the bed.

“Elena,” he said, now much more relaxed and pulling a chair to sit in front of her at an arm’s distance. “I imagine we need to talk about… Tonight.”

The redhead nodded, and he watched as her face changed back to the usual neutral and almost cold expression he’d been used to see.

“I don’t think we should...” he hesitated, trying to find his words and swallowing saliva. “I don’t think we should rush things. I don’t know you and you don’t know me.”

Again, she nodded slowly, and he saw her shoulders move as if something was lifted from them. The princess was nervous too, it made things much easier.

“Do you want your own bed?” she offered.

He shook his head.

“No, no,” he smiled. “There is space for both of us in there.”

Elena confirmed, and he ran a hand up and down his thigh.

“So,” he looked into her brown eyes. “How do your feet feel?”

She just stared at him blankly and in silence, a bit of confusion in her expression and a frown between her eyebrows, creating a single line there.

“I took off your shoes five minutes ago, doll. You seemed to be in agonising pain. How did you manage to dance with them?”

The princess shrugged dismissively.

“You learn things when you are a woman. Swallow your pain is one of them.”

He looked down at his own hands for one moment and then at her feet, coming up with an idea.

“Lay down, give me them,” he reached out, lifting her ankles and trying not to glance at how the gown slipped up to reveal the soft skin of her calves.

“What are you doing?” the princess sounded alarmed.

“Giving my wife a foot rub,” he said like it was obvious. “What does it look like I’m doing?”


	4. III

Elena had fallen asleep while James… _Bucky_ rubbed her feet, too lost in the relaxing comfort to even notice herself drift away.

He’d woken up in the middle of the night – at 2 or 3 am, perhaps – with the sound of steps in the corridor, looking at his side just to see that his new wife wasn’t there.

“Elena?” he called, trying not to sound too loud but receiving no response back, hesitating and then following the sounds of fading footsteps until they disappeared.

James never imagined a single wing could be so big and easy to get lost inside. The staff was asleep, which left no one to guide him through the halls. He had to stop for a whole minute to find himself, but the sound of a low humming quickly brought his feet to the right way.

Standing in front of the oven with only the thin lace and silk gown, Elena seemed to be singing the same song the two had danced to with King Anthony earlier that day, distracted while putting what looked like fried eggs in a plate.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, making her jump startled and the frying pan in her hand fell on her opposite hand, pressing it against the surface under it before falling close to her feet on the floor.

_Oh, shit._

Bucky moved quickly, seeing the red mark on the back of her pale hand and realising what he had just caused.

__Wait, had_ _ __she_ _ __just whisper the lowest ‘Fuck’ he’d ever heard or was he mistaken?_ _

“Goodness,” the princess exclaimed, holding her own arm and letting the frying pan fall to the floor. “What are you doing here? You should be asleep.”

“I heard you walking out of the room,” he pulled his wife to the closest sink, putting her hand under running water and biting down a curse when he noticed how part of her skin had gone with the metal, and how the whole area between the start of her fingers and the circle of her wrist was damaged. “ _ _Good God__.”

When he turned to look at her face, he couldn’t help but feel extremely surprised. She wasn’t even grimacing, only biting her lip in response to what he knew was a strong feeling of pain.

“We need to get someone to give this a look,” he decided, opening cabinets around to find any pan or anything he could fill with water and put Elena’s hand inside. “I’m so sorry.”

“The next door,” she pointed, making him look at her. “The door next to this one. You’re looking for a big pan, you will find it there.”

He followed his wife’s instruction, looking around for any bell he could ring to bring someone as he picked the pan and filled it up, pulling Elena’s hand from the running water to lay in the colder option.

“I’m so sorry,” he continued to repeat, finally finding a calling button and ringing it furiously. “Does it hurt?”

“I’ll survive,” the princess said calmly. “They won’t answer. We’re not ringing from our room, they won’t think it is important.”

Bucky froze, turning to look at his wife in worry.

“Someone needs to look at your hand.”

“It is nothing to worry too much about,” Elena looked at the injury, removing her hand from underwater and drying it with the closest cloth. “It’s not blistering. It will be fine.”

He looked at her in surprise. Any other princess he could have ever met would be – at least – complaining and crying in pain. Elena wasn’t even _reacting_.

“What were you doing?” he turned the subject around, walking to the large freezer in hope to find ice.

“Frying eggs,” she looked at him. “What did it look like I was doing?”

Bucky frowned. What did she think she was, a commoner?

“You know the kitchen staff is there for this exact reason, right? If you’re hungry, you just need to ask them for food.”

the redhead rolled her eyes, walking back to her plate and seeing how some of the eggs were on the floor. Bucky suddenly wondered if she would clean it herself or ask someone to do it.

“They are asleep. They worked for days to make the party happen and it’s not like there are leftovers, they took that home with them.”

“Why haven’t you eaten at the party, then?”

The way the woman looked at him made him froze for a moment, seeing as her brown eyes filled with fire for one single second before something else took place.

“Have you seen my ball gown?” she frowned. “Or my wedding dress? I’ve been dieting since our engagement was announced and only eating soup and drinking juice since I learnt that we would be broadcasted.”

His eyes widened. Well, she did look a lot thinner since the first time he saw her but that wasn’t something he would first expect.

“Wait,” he raised a hand. “You haven’t eaten anything solid in 10 weeks? Give me those eggs, you can’t start so suddenly!” he walked to her, pulling the plate plate away and walking to the trash, throwing away what was left of the eggs.

Elena looked at him mortified, but any protests were interrupted when a man walked into the kitchen.

“Your Royal Highnesses,” he sounded surprised. “How can I be useful?”

Instantly, Bucky stood straighter.

“My wife is hungry. Could you have someone fetch her some rice or corn cream, please? Thank you.”

The staff man nodded.

“And a doctor or nurse or… Anything like that. She burned her hand, someone has to give it a look,” her husband requested before he could leave. “That is all.”

The man nodded only again.

“It will be done, your royal highness. Excuse me.”


	5. IV

“You can cook,” Bucky noticed as Elena ate her tomato creamy soup. “How did you learn?”

“I can’t cook,” she rested her spoon. “I can fry eggs. My nanny taught me when I was around 10 without my father’s knowledge. She thought it would be useful.”

He smirked in response. A man had come to see her hand and clean it, and now she had gauze around it. It was just a first-degree burn, it would heal itself alone in a week or so.

“I see her point,” he decided. “Enjoying your cream?”

“I would like eggs much better,” the princess glared at him.

“Well, if you try them you’ll probably get sick,” he corrected his wife. “Once I served in a country with a terrible problem of death by starvation. The climate and the government were to blame. Anyway,” he explained. “One of our soldiers made the mistake of feeding a starving woman with no preparation or care. She had severe pains and diarrhoea.”

Elena tried to keep her eyes on him even though the embarrassment inside her. It was stupid telling him about her diet. He probably thought of her as very stupid now.

“The right procedure is to introduce food slowly,” he continued. “First liquids. Then creamy. Small solids with the person chewing as best as they can. It can take up to days or weeks for the person to be able to eat a fully solid meal with no ill effects. I’m simply caring for you.”

Elena went back to her cream and the brown-eyed woman glanced at her side when she saw the eggs being cleaned from the floor.

“Who suggested it?” he questioned.“The liquid diet.”

Elena seemed taken back by the question but answered after a second of thought.

“One of my ladies-in-waiting. Barbara something. She is one of those who help me dress up.”

“Noble birth?” he inquired once again.

“No,” she shook her head. “Staff member.”

James nodded, finally leaving the subject aside but acknowledging every bit of information.

“You didn’t need any diet,” he said in a lower tone. “You would look lovely in any way. I actually liked you better when you were… Curvier.”

He held a smile when Elena stared at him in surprise.

“If my opinion matters, I mean.”

He tried to keep himself from laughing when his wife shifted on her seat.

“Thank you.”

* * *

“I think I married Antarctica,” Bucky said, and Steve arched an eyebrow at him. “I mean it.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“She never laughs!” Bucky exclaimed. “I tried my best. I cracked some jokes, complimented her, told her stories… Cold as a freezer. We’ve been married for two days and she has __barely__ smiled at me so far.”

“Maybe you are losing your charm,” Peggy said behind them, rubbing her husband shoulders. “She looks like she is a very lovely girl. I heard she has interesting tastes.”

He rested his back on his chair.

“Like what?”

“Animated movies,” she shrugged. “Disney’s, especially. Pinocchio, Dumbo… I heard there is a new production… Bimbo? Bambo? Something like that.”

“Bambi,” he corrected her. “It is from an Australian book.”

“I think mother read it to us, Buck,” Steve pointed. “Isn’t it about the deer?”

His brother nodded.

“Anyway,” Peggy waved her hand. “Take her to the movie, eat some popcorn with butter, maybe candy… Be a couple. It’s simple.”

Bucky bit his lower lip, thinking of the suggestion and standing up.

“Of course. If you’ll excuse me now.”

“Where are you going?” Steve questioned.

“Have a moment with the king,” he fixed his suit in front of a mirror, making sure everything was in place. “There is something worrying me and I think it may be of his interest.”

His brother looked at him in surprise, but the ~~prince~~ Duke walked away from them the same way, stopping in front of the king’s office a few minutes later and taking a long breath, waiting to be announced.

He felt weird walking into the room. Pictures and more pictures of the previous monarchs and members of the royal family, including a large frame with the Elena along with her mother and father standing together, which finally revealed to him the face of the long-gone Queen Virginia.

“Your majesty,” he bowed in respect.

“James,” King Anthony nodded back. “I’m sorry I took so long, you probably know how the latest days have been busy.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he nodded. “I’m sure Your Majesty has many…”

“Boy,” he interrupted him. “Before you start. Who are you here to talk to?”

The Duke frowned, not understanding. What kind of question was that?

“Are you here for the king or the man?” Anthony explained, seeing how the younger man’s posture changed to a more relaxed one.

“I’m here to talk to my wife’s father,” he finally answered. “Sir.”

Anthony breathed deep, sitting back in the armchair behind him.

“Sit down,” he unbuttoned his suit. “What is wrong?”

James complied but shifted in his seat, a bit uncomfortable.

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, have you noticed the change in Elena’s shape?” he asked carefully. “Since our engagement was announced, especially?”

Anthony’s face changed in confusion as he stared at the man in front of him.

“Well…” he hesitated. “I did.”

__He wanted to talk about that?_ _

“Sir, I know this may sound a bit out of place with all your worries, but I’m only here because I think it is of your interest to know what kind of thing people are working and influencing your daughter,” Bucky continued. “It came to my knowledge recently that someone suggested that the princess was, apparently, too chubby for the telly. A lady in waiting, to be more specific. Barbara.”

King Anthony sat back and took a long breath, seeming deeply annoyed with the information.

“She proceeded to a full liquid diet and… Sir, I have some medical training from when I served and I don’t think it was something very healthy for her,” he affirmed. “I’ve communicated with the kitchen’s chef and they are making the right modifications to her meals and their frequency, but I would like to be sure nothing like that would ever happen again. The princess’ healthy is something very important.”

Silently, his father-in-law reached out for a bell button by his side, ringing it twice and making the staff member enter the room.

“I need Jarvis here,” he requested. “Immediately. You can go, James. Thank you for letting me know.”

 


	6. V

“You did what?” Elena squeezed her own hand tightly in what seemed to be contained anger while staring at her husband.

“I talked to your father,” he said slowly. “That woman was a terrible influence on you, that diet was a terrible decision and we both know that.”

Her face changed for a moment and he could see his wife’s eyes boiling like a volcano ready to explode.

“So you don’t think I could have taken care of the problem with her alone?”

He shook his head, stepping closer and laying a hand on Elena’s arm, caressing her skin in order to bring her down but keeping a respectful distance from her __always__ crossed hands.

“No. I simply wanted to help you,” Bucky corrected his wife. “I’m caring for you. I’m your husband. Let me do that. Were you friends?”

Apparently, the touch calmed the redhead down.

“No.”

“So that won’t be a problem, right?” he squeezed her softly. “I’m sorry if my decision hurt you. I didn’t mean to.”

She looked down at her own hands and he could see how they weren’t _that_ clenched anymore.

“You are my husband,” Elena looked up at him, staring hard into his eyes. “So I’m going to be clear and straight with you.”

Bucky nodded, making circles on her cold skin with his thumb.

“Of course.”

“Don’t defy my authority again,” Elena looked in his eyes. “Don’t make me look weak again. If you do, I’ll make you regret it. __Never__ try to overpower me _ _.__ ”

He swallowed saliva down, the hardness of her brown eyes making his throat suddenly dry.

“Of course,” he nodded, releasing Elena’s hands from his. “It won’t happen again.”

He looked around the room, feeling his whole body tense. How could someone so delicate be so hard?

“I was thinking,” he tried to change the subject. “And I was wondering if you had the evening free.”

“Why?” she moved her weight from one foot to the other, and he could see how she was in high-heels once again.

“I heard there is a new Disney film out,” he tried to smile. “I was wondering if you would want to go.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Elena raise her chin and breath deeply.

“What film?”

“Bambi,” he turned fully to his wife, glancing at the clock behind her. “It starts in three hours, do you wish to go?”

The princess uncrossed her hands, which made his body relax. _She was_ _ _open to it.__

“I’ll go get ready.”

Bucky smiled, much more relaxed.

“Would you consider some special dinner after the session?”

The princess hesitated.

“Special?”

“I was thinking of a restaurant,” he explained. “I heard you like Thai cuisine quite much since you visited the country.”

For one moment she looked surprised but recomposed herself.

“Did you make reservations?”

* * *

“Bambi?” Wanda raised her head from the comforter, where she was laid. “My nanny used to read it to me when I was a child. It is a beautiful tale. A bit sad, though, you should bring some tissues.”

Elena shook her head in disapproval, putting her red hair behind her ear.

“I don’t cry, Wanda,” she reminded her cousin. “I thought you already knew about that.”

Elena’s best friend rolled her eyes.

“Of course,” she said in an exaggerated motion while the lady-in-waiting stepped away from the princess to pick up her hat. “The future queen’s façade. How could I ever forget?”

Elena did her best to ignore her, running a hand over the place where her skirt and blouse met.

“You look gorgeous,” she stopped behind the redhead. “He won’t be able to look away.”

Elena smirked, letting out a giggle that made Wanda smile largely.

“Look at you,” she walked to the princess’ front, holding both her hands in hers, shaking them. “My sweet Elena has a boyfriend!”

“He is my husband,” the princess corrected her cousin, who made a dismissive movement with her hand. “Are you sure you like it?”

“I love it,” she said slowly, making sure every single word was clear.

The two glanced at the lady-in-waiting choosing Elena’s earrings.

“Are you going to kiss him?” she whispered.

“Wanda!” the princess glanced back, alarmed.

“What?” she frowned. “I’m just asking.”

“Oh, shut up,” she looked back at the mirror. “Ella, I think the ones with the garnets will fit perfectly.”

* * *

“Wow,” he muttered. “Doll, [you look stunning](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polyvore.com%2Fcgi%2Fset%3Fid%3D234253572%26&t=ZTI0MDY1ZDc3YjMyODhiMDkzYzg3ZjJjYTFhMzY2NTIyZjJmNjVkZCxQVTR6NHgxUw%3D%3D&b=t%3A6qk-D_zAzXPy1OBa4AoVtA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fbecaamm.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F173196032863%2Fnothing-less-part-5&m=1). I don’t even know why they still hold those Miss Universe competitions when you are right here with me.”

Elena cracked a – very – small smile before turning her face back to ‘lovely-neutral’ but it was enough to fill Bucky with confidence and hope.

__A smile. Maybe I can have a laugh today._ _

“Sir,” he heard, turning around to see the staff man holding the bouquet of flowers.

“Thank you,” James took them from his hand, holding it and walking to his wife. “Here.”

She picked the bouquet up with a frown, bringing it to her nose. It had a sweet and citrus smell.

“What are those?” Elena looked at him, curious. “They smell delicious.”

“Orange blossoms,” he opened a smile. “They are from my home. My ma has a garden full of them, I imagined… I imagined you would enjoy them.”

The princess brought them to her nose again, breathing deep.

“They smell amazing. Can we have those in our room?” she turned to the staff member.

“Of course, your royal highness.”

“Thank you,” the princess nodded, reaching out with it to him. “Show them to the flower lady. And then to our gardener, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

When Elena looked at Bucky, she felt her cheeks warming up with how large he was smiling.

“Darling,” he offered her his arm. “May we go, I don’t want us to be late?”

Elena squeezed her purse closer to herself.

“Of course,” she wrapped a hand around his biceps, holding a gasp when she felt the hard muscle of it and trying not to feel tiny by his side. “Let’s go.”


	7. VI

Elena had chuckled at the movie. Smiled and chuckled. Bucky had had yet to hear her chuckle, so it felt like a good sign.

“Did you like it?” he questioned as she cut the food on her plate.

“It was beautiful,” the princess looked up at his face. “I loved it. Thank you, Bucky.”

He smiled openly in response, leaning closer to her direction.

“You’re welcome. It was indeed a great movie, we should watch it again in the future.”

She nodded, eating more. He’d chosen her dish that night, still reminding her of how her body was still adapting to __normal food__ but not staying in the subject for too long.

“I would like it very much.”

Bucky didn’t like silence very much. He was a chatter and almost never felt comfortable when the room fell into silence. Elena, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. She enjoyed silence, white noise always comforted her when she needed and the princess wasn’t one to speak much, especially when in a crowd. The princess was in the public eye too much and any word she said could turn against hi at any moment if misinterpreted. Besides, one of the lessons her mother had left her before her death was that ‘ _ _if you don’t have anything useful to say, silence is the best option__ ’.

“Tell me something,” he said after long minutes. “What’s your favourite colour?”

Elena frowned, tilting her head to the side.

“Beg you pardon?”

“Your favourite colour.”

The redhead shifted on her seat.

“Blue,” she decided.

“Favourite flavour?”

“Sweet.”

He nodded, thinking a bit more and his eyes fell on her hand, where a diamond ring rested above her wedding ring. It was her engagement ring, but also something deeper. The ring was one King Anthony had given him to give Elena when they became an official couple, but it had once belonged to her mother, the late Queen Virginia.

“Tell me a childhood story,” he asked in a soft voice. “Something you may miss. Anything.”

The princess made silence for a moment before resting back on her chair and cleaning the corners of her mouth.

“When I was seven, two years after my mother…” she interrupted herself. She wasn’t ready to talk about her mother yet. “There was an oak tree the boys used to climb, it still exists somewhere in our garden. One day they were climbing it as they would usually do, scream ‘I am the king’ and then go down. And I was around, I was walking in the gardens and I saw them and said, ‘You can’t be the king, my father is the king and then I will be the queen’, they weren’t having it, though.”

Bucky listened carefully, he could see where it was going but was interested in how Elena felt about it.

“And then one of the boys said that I couldn’t be the queen because queens are only married to kings and are only there to give birth to children. They said a woman couldn’t be head of state.”

His eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh,” he muttered. “That was very rude.”

She nodded.

“Yes, and they also said I couldn’t climb the tree because girls were too weak.”

“Really?” Bucky questioned. “What did you do?”

“I climbed the tree,” she shrugged. “All 25 feet up. No one else was able to go that high.”

He stared at her in surprise, smiling openly.

“And did you say anything?”

“Oh, I did,” the princess nodded, looking around with a rather pleased look on her face. “I screamed ‘Queen Elena, the first’ and I think the world fell into dead silence.”

He just continued to smile openly.

“Really?” he chuckled. “What did they say?”

“Nothing,” she shrugged. “They were too surprised and then my nanny came desperate and told me to get down.”

Bucky started laughing discreetly and she rolled her brown eyes as the corner of her lips curled the slightest, trying to hold back her giggles.

“I can just imagine her face,” he looked around.

“Oh, she was desperate,” Elena tried to keep herself from smiling as her voice changed to mock her old British nanny. “Get down, Elena, this is not ladylike.”

Bucky opened a huge grin and the princess couldn’t help herself, finally opening a full smile and letting out the smallest of the giggles.

__Yes, a full smile. Finally! A full smile._ _

“When we’re home, you definitely need to show me that tree.”


	8. VII

“Well, it is still growing,” Elena touched the tree trunk. “Must be around 65 feet, I’d say. It’s been… 15 years?” she tried to remember.

Bucky looked up for a moment, trying to measure how high she’d probably gone decades ago.

“Weren’t you afraid of falling?” he questioned, finally looking at his wife again. “25 feet… That’s awfully high. Dangerous too.”

She shrugged.

“I wasn’t thinking much,” the princess confessed. “I just wanted to prove them wrong.”

She stood silently, feeling his hand in the middle of her back.

“That seems to be something you do frequently,” he whispered and the redhead turned to look at him. “Prove them wrong.”

Elena didn’t have an answer. Instead, she sat on the closest thick branch – a relatively high one that had her long legs hanging in the air when she did so – and undid her shoes, letting them fall before reaching out to the branch above her, standing up.

“What are you doing?” Bucky smiled.

“Climbing it,” the redhead looked at him like he had asked a stupid question. She was a bit drunk. Not  _ _too drunk__ but enough to ignore the danger of doing so. “What does it look like I’m doing? Hold my shoes, would you? I don’t want them dirty.”

He picked her high heels from the floor, putting them on a safe branch by his side and crossing his arms.

“Be careful, you don’t want to fall down.”

“Won’t you catch me if I do?” she climbed up swiftly, surprising him. She was actually  _ _good__ doing that.

“I will try,” he chuckled. “Be careful, though. I may be tall but I’m not able to fly.”

“Oh, no, you’re not tall,” Elena stopped, looking down at him. “Darling,  **I’m**  tall. You are a giant.”

The princess a tall girl, that’s something she was always reminded of as a kid. While her father was of average high for a man, she had taken from her mother – who was slightly taller than him – to grow past what people expected.

“I’m lucky I got to marry you,” she continued to climb up, not realising how her filters were practically inexistent now. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to wear heels ever again.”

Bucky was obviously having fun. If he knew that getting his wife slightly drunk would be the key to unlocking her chatty mode, he would have done that much earlier.

“I thought the heels hurt your feet.”

He moved from his spot when he noticed how Elena was moving the other side of the tree.

“Come on, darling, don’t go so high. Your father will kill me if you show up hurt after our first date,” he reminded her. “I don’t think my brother will be so happy with it either.”

The redhead giggled, sitting and smiling as her legs hang, swinging.

“Hello you there,” she smiled. “I’m taller than you here.”

“Apparently,” he let out a laugh. “Will you come down, please?”

She faced the landscape in front of her for a moment, breathing deeply.

“I wish we could take pictures with our eyes,” she muttered. “It’s beautiful up here. You can watch the sunset too. Would be lovely.”

He waited in silence as the princess moved down, following her with his eyes and opening his arms for her to jump when it became clear her feet couldn’t touch the ground, otherwise her pantyhose would end up very dirty.

“Help me put on my shoes,” Elena muttered, both thrilled and slightly uncomfortable with their position.

“No need,” Bucky reached out with the hand he had under her knees, taking the pair. “I’ll carry you.”

With those words, he adjusted his wife in his strong arms and started walking away from the tree, carrying her inside and holding a chuckle with the looks the two were getting along the way.

“Your Royal Highnesses!” one of the staff men rushed to them when he noticed the couple.

“Don’t worry, my dear wife is just barefoot,” Bucky assured him. “I’m taking her to our room. There is no need to help us.”

The man nodded, and Elena hid her face in the crook of her husband’s neck, inhaling his rather delicious scent.

“Do you want us to dismiss the staff in your chambers, sir?” he questioned.

Elena’s whole face filled with blood and heat with the implication of his words and she felt Bucky’s hands squeezign her just a little bit tighter.

“Thank you, but no. Just give us a moment alone,” he said firmly. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

Elena took another long breath on his neck, feeling a bit intoxicated and wanting to giggle. It was the wine, probably. She wouldn’t be so giggly if it wasn’t for it.

The redhead jumped when she felt and heard the low grumble emerge from his lips, feeling something run her spine.

“My darling,” his hand caressed the back of her thigh. ”If you keep doing that I won’t be able to contain myself.”

Before she could say anything else, he dropped her body on the bed and then sat by her side.

“Elena?” he whispered, moving his hand to her chin and caressing her milky skin.

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Instead of answering, she leant closer to him, enough for their noses to touch.

“Please,” she finally said, almost silently.

Before the pricness could give up or move out, Bucky cupped her cheek a pushed his lips against her, soft and careful before his tongue was involved in the kiss. It was odd, quiet, hot and sweet.

__Goodness. If_ _ __she_ _ __knew that kissing felt so good,_ _ __she_ _ __would have done it much earlier in_ _ __her_ _ __life._ _

Not even thinking of her actions, Elena moved her hands to pull him closer and Bucky’s hands wrapped on her waist, pulling her close to his body until the point she was sat on his thick thigh.

“Damn doll,” he hummed as his hands climbed their way up her back, pressing her body harder against his and moving his lips to his wife’s neck when he noticed her becoming breathless. “ _ _You smell so good__.”

“You too,” she muttered back timidly, gasping loudly when she felt him nip on her skin.

Elena’s cheeks were now not just pink __red__ , and she could feel the tingly feeling on her body starting to concentrate between her legs and at the tips of her breasts, specially.

The kisses, though, didn’t harder with time. They became calmer, and when he turned to kiss her lips once again, he wasn’t hungry but sweet.

“My princess,” he touched her nose with his, moving sweetly, rubbing them together and making the brown-eyed girl crack a small smile. “My lovely princess.”

His hands left her side, touching her face delicately and making circles on her cheeks with his thumbs, his voice not louder than a whisper when he spoke again.

“My strong princess.”

The couple didn’t do more than that in that night, but it wasn’t a big deal for him. When they were laid on the bed, he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arm around his wife’s body tightly.

He would need to adapt to her, learn her ways of doing things and proceed, so whatever they have could work. It __needed__ to work, he couldn’t fail. It would be a long journey.’


	9. VIII

Bucky stood silently by Elena’s side as the painter sketched the two of them. He’d taken several pictures with his camera and was now taking more notes and details of the two. He’d had her sat on a chair with the duke standing behind her, and they looked lovely, though the two were growing tired of all the angles he wanted to take.

“How many hours have we been here, again?” he whispered to his wife.

“More than I expected,” Elena answered in the same tone, eyes moving to the closest clock a few steps from you. “At least you can still feel your legs.”

He held back a smirk, imagining if ‘ _ _legs’__ was what she really meant or if she had changed the part of her body in order not to sound vulgar.

“He has enough pictures to fill the walls of the castle,” he joked and Elena cracked a little smile. “Do you think we’ll be done by dinner time?”

She rolled her eyes, still smiling a bit, and the two of them only noticed the painter was watching when they heard his camera clicking, going back to her previous posture.

“Thank you, your royal highnesses,” he stepped back. “I’ll have the first sketch back in ten days.”

She nodded politely, standing up and straightening her skirt.

“Do you have anything to do this morning? My brother is leaving in this afternoon and I’d enjoy spending some time with him and Peggy.”

Elena frowned.

“Peggy?”

He looked at her for a moment, confused, but then laughed. Of course, she didn’t know her as Peggy.

“Margaret. His wife,” he corrected himself. “Sorry, it’s… It’s a nickname.”

“Like _Bucky._ ”

“Yes, like Bucky.”

She walked to his side and he offered her an arm, walking the two to the side of the castle Steven was, and seeing how everything was already packed.

James was younger than Steve for one year and two months, but Elena could place at least half a decade between them. The weight of any crown was heavy, and she knew it was the reason he looked like that. He was a serious man that reminded her of the old pictures of her late grandfather – King Howard III – but with a softer posture.

“Is Bucky being good with you?” Margaret questioned the princess, looking at her sweetly.

“He is an amazing man,” she affirmed. “I don’t have any complains.”

She smiled, glancing at her husband for a moment and the redhead did the same. On the other side of the room, the two brothers were talking with serious expressions but opening smiles from time to time.

“We know how hard the decision was on you, Elena,” she affirmed. “Marrying someone you barely know, bring this person to your country, to your family…”

Elena looked down at her hands, not sure of how she was supposed to respond to her words. It was her choice, after all. No one had forced her to marry James and even Tony had even tried to make her give up several times through the months they’d spent organising the wedding and even on the way to the church.

“We need you,” she reached out, covering her bigger hand with her much smaller fingers and making Elena look up at her face. “We need your help, your father’s help, __any help we can get.__ Our country is fighting hard to survive this war and what you’re doing is more than anyone would ever do for people you’re not even responsible for.”

Hesitantly, Elena covered Margaret’s hand with her free one, squeezing it in comfort.

“Thank you,” she looked right into the princess’ brown-eyes. “Thank you so much.”

Elena glanced from her to the men away from them. She couldn’t say she wasn’t having anything back in the occasion. Bucky was a good person and a handsome man, and he seemed to be the best she’d get in your situation.

“You are very welcome.”


	10. IX

It pained Bucky to see his brother leave, Elena could see that clearly even if he didn’t say anything. They were close, probably best friends and always together as they grew up and she couldn’t even imagine how it felt to him to see him leave.

“Do you think we can visit them?” he questioned after they were too far to be seen. “In some months, maybe? Half a year?”

“Of course,” his wife nodded, turning to look at him. “We can talk to our private secretary and schedule a visit if the finances and time allow. We still need to resolve the military part, ship our tropes, decide things.”

He frowned.

“We?”

“Well…” she turned her eyes away. “Me.”

He didn’t seem to understand.

“Why would you?”

Elena looked at him, and she was the once confused this time.

“Why wouldn’t I?” the redhead said back. “I’m the future queen, I have things to do.”

He seemed taken back by her answer and she couldn’t help but wonder how much involvement he and his brother had in his father’s reign.

“Oh.”

The princess stood in silence, stepping back into the castle and listen to him following her.

“What do you do?” he spoke again, making her look back.

“Beg your pardon?”

“What do you do?” he repeated, talking fast. “Do you take decisions? Do you join meetings? Do you create laws?”

Elena stared at him in surprise, both by his rushed words and his clear curiosity.

“I do join my father doing meetings and no, I don’t create any laws. I __learn__ ,” she pointed. “I learn what the people need and what I’m supposed to do. I learn how to speak, protocols, about the codes and… Everything.”

He stood straight, still looking at her.

“Why are you so surprised?” the woman questioned. “You were in line for the throne, didn’t King Joseph have you and your brother learning your roles?”

He went back to his usual posture, trying to hide the melancholia that his eyes let out.

“Father didn’t want us anywhere close to him,” he muttered. “We had a tutor.”

Elena tried not to look at him with pity. The way he said that made his childhood sound very sad and lonely.

“Well, our children will be following me when they are old enough. You may come with us if it is of your interest.”

A question rolled to his tongue but he held back as she continued her way, following her steps with some distance.

“Elena,” he called when he noticed she was ready to turn and walk into a room. “Do you want to dance?”

The woman frowned, turning to look at him.

“Dance? Well, I don’t see a problem.”

“It’s a date,” he smiled openly. “Meet me at eight in the ballroom and make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes.”

* * *

Elena stepped shyly into the ballroom, glancing around the room and trying not to look awkward as she waited for James, opening a very small smile when her husband entered through the door opposite to hers.

“My lady,” he gave her a boyish smile, taking off his hat respectfully and the music started playing, filling the room.

“Come here,” he walked to the princess and she felt her cheeks warming when she realised the rhythm wasn’t exactly the one she was used to.

“I’m not sure I can dance this,” Elena told him, caressing the palm of her own hand to comfort herself, something she seemed to be very often when nervous.

“Don’t worry,” he held her right hand, resting his right palm in the middle of her back. “Put your hand on my shoulder, stay close.”

His wife followed his instructions silently as the song kept playing.

“Now, just to the side,” he continued, moving his feet and moving a bit back só she could see. “And spin… This way. And back.”

It took her a few tries but, eventually, she was moving around the room and just following his steps and enjoying the heat of his body against hers.

“You’re a quick learner,” her husband chuckled into her ear. “I knew you had more than a slow dance type in you.”

Elena hid her smile by hiding her face on his chest and when the last song was over, the two just stood there. Bucky had a good smell, something manly and __fresh,__ and _the redhead_ could feel something close to oranges in him. It was hard to describe but delicious.

His hand moved slowly from the middle of her back to the lower part of it, right where her skirt started puffing, and she felt one of his fingers playing with the start of the piece of clothing, playful but silently questioning if she consented with a more intimate touch.

Slowly, James pulled himself back, making Elena look at him. She was almost panting just from the way he stared at her, and both his touch and his eyes were sending shivers all over her body.

“Can I kiss you?’ he finally questioned.

“Please.”

Bucky leant down in a split of a second, kissing her thin lips softly and using both his large hands to hold her waist and pull her up to his height. She parted her lips and his tongue came in contact with hers in the same gentle way, slowly creating a need inside her that seemed to be moving itself to the middle of her legs.

Elena wasn't dumb, she knew what __that__ meant. A handful of times she’d felt such an urge she had managed to relieve herself, but nothing had ever built her up this way.

Without thinking, the princess moved her hands to his shoulders and the back of his neck, tugging on the hairs there and hearing him groan very softly. It took her a moment to realise when they were moving, and the redhead jerked away from him when she felt a table under her body.

The princess looked in Bucky’s eyes for a moment when he stopped to check if she was okay and moved to kiss him again, tugging on his hair once again when she felt his hand resting on her knee and moving up to her thigh, pushing herself against him without even noticing.

When it was unbearable, the redhead moved away, gasping for air and letting out a very soft whine when he started kissing her neck and opening her blouse, caressing the top of one of her small breasts.

Every kiss of his lips felt like liquid fire being poured onto her skin, lightening every inch of her up and making Elena feel completely irrational and  _ _primal.__

“James,” she sighed when he squeezed her thigh and her husband smiled at her soft neck, yanking the side of her delicate blouse away to fully cup her breast, caressing her pink nipple just over the of her bra. “Good god.”

“Do you like this, my princess?” he questioned in a whisper.

Elena couldn’t tell if he was asking to tease her or honestly wanted to know how she felt.

“Yes,” she gasped back.

“I wanted to take you to dinner,” he continued, moving his big fingers to the top of her bra, pulling it down and releasing her breast from its confinement. “Wanted to walk around the gardens, to be like a couple in on of their first dates, but darling…”

She closed her brown eyes and gasped when he tugged on her nipple, feeling pleasure running her body.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to be so tempting,” he said with a dark tone, licking the lobe of her ear. “So beautiful.”

Elena pulled her hands from his neck to hold his face, taking him back to kiss her lips once again, rushing to unbutton his dress shirt when the sound of a door opening and a loud gasp made the two freeze.

__They_ _ __were still in the ballroom, for God’s sake._ _

“Out,” Bucky yelled before the person could say anything and Elena rushed to pull her bra back and button her blouse up, absolutely embarrassed as Bucky shielded, helping her down when she was recomposed.

“Let’s take it back to our room, shall we?”


End file.
